Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, and First Lady Cylvia Hayes, enjoy time with members of the Oregon National Guard, Oregon Emergency Management and other Oregon Military Department employees during Thursday's lunch marking the National Guard's 376th birthday.SGT Cory Grogan / Oregon Military Department

Why does the National Guard say its birthday is Dec. 13? And how can it be that the Guard considers it to be 376 years old?

It's because the earliest colonists realized that they needed to organize for their own protection following a series of clashes with the Native People in the New World.

The Massachusetts Bay colony established the first militia on this date in 1636.

A few historical events occurred afterward. Then the governor of Oregon and his militia had a birthday lunch in Salem.